Beverage cooling and dispensing bar



24, 1938.. G. CHRISTO 9 3 4 BEVERAGE COOLING AND DISPENSING BAR Filed July 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. CHRISTO BEVERAGE COOLING AND DISPENSING BAR Filed July 29, 1936 2 Sheets Shee 2 Patented May 24, 1938 iTED STATES h I I a: E L a i v 1 10 Claims.

My present invention relates to the dispensing of beverages and more particularly to coolers, such as are used in serving draft beer, and it has for its object to provide a cooler of this nature and incorporate it in the structure of a service bar with such effect that a patron of the bar may see the beverage as it is drawn through the coil and before it reaches the tap and the glass to be later served to him. A further object of the invention is to provide a series of coils for the dispensing of a plurality of brands of beverages in combination with means for visibly indicating the particular brand that is being drawn in response to the customers order.

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a service bar or fountain constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the cooler section of the bar,

Fig. 3 is a relatively transverse vertical longitudinal section through the same somewhat reduced from the scale of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l indicates a bar or a fountain fixture that may be, in general, of any known type having an upper counter or service surface 2. Preferably in the center thereof is an intermediate cooling section, indicated generally at 3, which numeral also designates the general casing or shell thereof. The top of this section is continuous with the surface 2 and used for the same purpose. Within the casing 3 are three chambers, namely, an upper cooling chamber 3, a ventilating chamber 5 forwardly thereof and a radiating and compressing chamber 6 beneath.

The cooling chamber is preferably constituted by an integral glass tank 1, the front wall I of which is forwardly exposed to view and the top wall of which consists of a lid 8 flush with the top of the section and with surface 2. In this tank are arranged a row of glass cooling coils 9. Each one of these, through a union l and suitable fittings, is connected by a pipe H (running usually down through the floor l2) to the beverage source such as a keg of beer in the cellar. The beer, which we will adhere to as being the beverage for the purposes of this description, un-

oler pressure, preferably enters a coil at the top and its course is helically downward to, an inward and centrally upward extension. l3 of the glass tubing within the coil, which extension, through suitable fittings in the rear of the casing 3, leads to the faucet or tap: I t above the drip tray E5 in the usual manner. The chamber or tank 4 is filled with water that submerges and surrounds the coils and which is cooled to the proper temperature by a refrigerating unit it at the rear 10 also submerged in the water. The usual piping ll connects the unit 56 with the radiator E8 in lower chamber 6 for bringing down the temperature of the refrigerating fluid and the radiator in turn is connected by appropriate piping I9 with the compressor 28. This compressor is driven through a pulley 2i and belt 22 from a motor 23 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3) on the shaft of which is a fan or blower 24 associated with the radiator W for drawing air against the same. The source of energy for the motor is shown through the connection 25 to the outlet 26. There is the usual thermostatic control, not shown, and, indeed, the whole refrigerating setup as such is represented somewhat convention- 25 ally as typical of this type of apparatus and will be understood as far as it forms a part of this invention by those skilled in the art.

The ventilating chamber 5 before referred to may be formed of suitable general and special casing parts, such as an auxiliary shell or casing 21 at the top of which are air inlet openings 28.

t is also provided with a. glass front wall or panel 29 opposite and spaced from the front wall i of cooling chamber 4 so that, through both of these walls as well as through the top 8 of-the latter, the coils 9 may be viewed at all times by the patrons of the bar.

The result is that even the uninitiated can instantly note which one of the taps M is being used and through which coil beer that is being drawn is passing, and hence which brand is being served as will hereinafter appear. This, in general, is because the beer as it comes from the keg under gas or air pressure inherently contains enough bubbles to reveal the fact that it is surging down through the coils, whereas the beer temporarily standing in the unused coils will have freed itself of bubbles which will have risen out of view. I prefer to construct the coils 9 of clear glass, but other light transmitting materials that will reflect the bubbles, such as frosted glass, will give the eifect though less definitely.

Returning to the ventilating chamber 5, this communicates at its bottom at 36 with the radiator chamber 6 and preferably in general alinement with the radiator l8 below-it and behind which the blower is arranged as aforesaid. The beneficial result flowing from this is two-fold, namely, the blower indirectly draws air through the openings 28 and downwardly through chamber 5 in a continuous film across the walls and 29, thereby preventing these walls from frosting (particularly, the refrigerating wall 1*) and interfering with a clear view of the interior of chamber 4. Also, this air is thereby cooled and is the same air that is drawn through or across the radiator l8 of the compressor unit, which makes it act more efi'iciently in lowering the temperature of the gas. In other words, in nontechnical language, the cold that is radiated and which escapes from the tank wall I is utilized again at its source to cool the compressed gas.

As a further means of identifying the particular coil 9 through which the beer is being drawn, I provide means for illuminating that coil individually and automatically through the manipulation of the corresponding tap M. This consists, in the present instance, of a neon or vapor electric lamp tube 3| associated with each coil. Its lead wires 32 plugged in at 33 to the outlet 26'include a switch or circuit breaker, indicated generally at 34 in Fig. 2. This may be in the form of an ordinary push button construction 35, except that it is the reverse of a bell button in that, when the spring pressed button is normally out, the circuit through the lamp is closed and when it is pressed in the circuit is held broken. When the handle 36 of the tap I4 is in inoperative or closed position, as in Fig. 2, a finger 3'! thereon holds button 35 depressed and hence the lamp 3| of this circuit is dead. When, however, the handle is drawn forwardly to open the tap and draw the beer, the button is released, the circuit is closed and the lamp is charged.

In addition to all of the foregoing provisions, I have provided further means for indicating the brand of beer that is being drawn, which also acts as an advertising device for that brand. It consists, in the present instance, of a vertically disposed tablet 38 associated with each coil, on which the name of the brand appears and is readable through the transparent media that surround it. It may occupy the center of the coil and be held to the central discharge stem l3 thereof by a suitable clip 39 or in any desired manner. When the coil illuminating circuit of that particular tap is closed, the tablet is illuminated also and provides a reading of the selected brand. This may be enlarged as an advertising feature and many variations of the principle introduced, as, for instance, neutralizing combinations of colors may be employed in the neon tube 3| on the one brand and the individual coil tablets 38 or the lettering thereon on the other, so that the reading will not be visible by natural light or normally, but only through the reflection of the lamp color.

For the sake of cleanliness, as well as to carry out the expressed features of my invention, I prefer to make the entire line of draft from keg to tap, except for necessary metal connections, of clear glass. The coils rest in glass seats 40 in the bottom of tank or chamber 4 and, due to the fact that the beer enters the coil from the top convolution and leads direct to the tap from the bottom convolution of the coil, when the keg or barrel blows, as it is called, the inrushing free pressure gas will almost completely clear the coil,

and thus stale beer is not left in the coil and practically no beer is wasted through the emptying of that keg and the tapping of a fresh one.

I claim as my invention:

1. A beverage bar having an intermediate cooling section an upper plane portion of which constitutes an uninterrupted fiat horizontal part of a continuous upper service surface, said cooling section embodying a water tank located entirely below the latter in combination with a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the section, a tap at the rear thereof drawing from the coil, and a beverage source leading to the latter, said section being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar.

2. A beverage bar having an intermediate cooling section an upper plane portion of which constitutes an uninterrupted fiat horizontal part of a continuous upper service surface, said cooling section embodying a water tank located entirely below the latter in combination with a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the section, a tap at the rear thereof drawing from the coil, and a beverage source leading to the latter, said section being provided with transparent top and front walls to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar.

3. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the chamber, a tap at the rear of the section drawing from the coil, a beverage source leading to the latter, and a refrigerating unit in the chamber, said chamber being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coil to the View of a patron of the bar, of means for drawing a continuously flowing film of air across the transparent wall to counteract frosting thereof.

4. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the chamber, a tap at the rear of the section drawing from the coil, a beverage source leading to the latter, and a refrigerating unit in the chamber embodying an exteriorly arranged radiator, said chamber being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coil to the View of patrons of the bar, of a blower for directing a current of air against the radiator, said blower being so arranged as to draw such air in a continuously flowing film across the transparent wall to counteract frosting thereof.

5. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the chamber, a tap .at the rear of the section drawing from the coil, a beverage source leading to the latter, and a refrigerating unit in the chamber, said chamber being provided with a transparent front wall to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar, of a chamber in the casing below the cooling chamber containing a radiator for the cooling unit and also containing a blower, the latter being arranged to draw a continuous film of air across the transparent wall of the cooling chamber and transmit it to the radiator for the purposes set forth.

6. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the chamber, a tap at the rear of the section drawing from the coil, a beverage source leading to the latter, and a refrigerating unit in the chamber, said chamber being provided with a transparent front wall to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar, of a radiation chamber in the casing below the cooling chamber containing a radiator for the cooling unit, a ventilating chamber in front of the cooling chamber also having a transparent front wall spaced from and opposite to that of the cooling chamber, said ventilating chamber being above and in communication with the radiation chamber, and a blower in the latter adapted to draw air from the ventilating chamber and direct it to the radiator.

7. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a plurality of beverage coils of light transmitting material in the chamber, taps at the rear of the section respectively individually drawing from the coils, and a plurality of beverage sources leading respectively individually to the coils, said chamber being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coils to the view of a patron of the bar, of designating means individual to the respective coils and each under the control of the tap from that coil for indicating to the patron the coil from which a beverage is being drawn.

8. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a plurality of beverable coils of light transmitting material in the chamber, taps at the rear of the section respectively individually drawing from the coils and a plutap.

rality of beverage sources leading respectively individually to the coils, said chamber being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar, of a lamp associated with and adapted to illumine each coil, said lamp having a normally open circult closed by the opening of the corresponding 9. In a cooling section for beverage bars, the combination with a casing having a cooling chamber therein, a plurality of beverage coils of light transmitting material in the chamber, taps at the rear of the section respectively individually drawing from the coils, and a plurality of beverage sources leading respectively individually to the coils, said chamber being provided with a transparent wall located so as to expose the coil to the view of a patron of the bar, of a brand designating sign associated with each coil and an individual lamp for each sign, said lamp having a normally open circuit closed by the opening of the corresponding tap.

10. A beverage bar having an intermediate cooling section an upper plane portion of which constitutes part of a continuous horizontal upper service surface in combination with a beverage coil of light transmitting material in the section, a tap at the rear thereof drawing from the coil, and a beverage source leading to the latter, said section embodying an integral glass tank containing the coils and said upper plane portion constituting a glass cover for said tank.

GLIGOR CHRISTO. 

